The letter says the state board “is united in its resolve to assist students of HCS to receive the opportunity for a sound, basic education. With the start of the 2015-2016 school year a few days away, it is clear that the HCS board and leadership are unable or unwilling to make sound financial decisions in order to sustain a financially viable school district. To our dismay, irresponsible decisions by the HCS Board signal a failure to cooperate with the recommendations by the SBE's designees.”

(A copy of Cobey's letter is included as an attachment at the end of this story)

The letter notes in 2009, after years of chronic poor academic performance, the county agreed to comply with a court order in which it would fully cooperate with the state board to improve educational opportunities and provide all students with the equal opportunity to obtain a sound, basic education. The letter also notes the school system was to independently exercise its judicial functions and to appear and testify at any future hearing in the case involving the court for not taking action or voting against any proposals endorsed by the state board or its designees.

It is the second strongly worded letter to the school system written by Cobey since one sent in 2013.

In a news release on the matter, the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction says the state stressed it is acting on behalf of the students in the district to support their quality education.

“We are concerned that the Halifax Board is making decisions that are unaffordable and that undermine the many quality teachers and principals who are trying to make a difference for students," Cobey said in the news release.

Since 2009, the state has placed employees of its District and School Transformation division in the schools and central office in Halifax County to support better instruction for students and to guide policy decisions that matter the most. This activity has provided hands-on teacher support – with DPI staff often working side-by-side in classrooms — and principal and central office coaches to improve professionalism and decision-making.

Teachers and principals in Halifax have made progress with student achievement with the assistance of District and School Transformation staff, the news release said.

Today's actions, the press release said, are intended to improve the environment for teaching and learning.

Cobey's letter says the school system must do the following:

• Submit the Halifax budget for detailed review by the State Board of Education or its designees

• Require all employment actions to be approved by the SBE or designees

• Require the district enroll middle and high school students in the state Virtual Public School when there is not a licensed teacher employed to teach a course required for high school graduation

“These three directives will address concerns about unsustainable financial commitments that the Halifax Board has made, poor personnel decisions and poor instructional decisions that shortchange student learning,” the news release said.

Halifax County Schools Superintendent Elease Frederick told the EdNC website in its last posting she had just read the letter from the State Board of Education minutes ago.

She said that while the letter went out to board members in an email, she wasn’t sure if they had seen it yet. They are having a board retreat tonight at which she will present the letter.

Frederick said she and her staff have been working with DPI all along on issues such as personnel hiring in an effort to decide on recommendations.

But Frederick is only able to make recommendations to the Halifax Board, which then has the final say.

Frederick said she and the board will need time to digest the State Board’s letter.

“There may be some other key questions that we may have,” she said.